MEXICO: Holidaymakers Killed Fuel Tanker Knocks Bus, Medical Tourism A hot Cake Worldwide

At least 24 people are reported to have been killed in Mexico, after a fuel truck crashed into a passenger bus. The vehicles burst into flames, with many of those inside perishing in the blaze.

Authorities said that the crash on Thursday happened on a highway along the Pacific Coast, in the state of Guerrero, near to the border with neighboring Michoacan.

The commander of Michoacan State Firemen's Association, Jorge Ostria, told local media that the fuel truck had been carrying 40,000 liters of gasoline when it plowed across the highway into oncoming traffic.

Ostria said the driver of the fuel vehicle had lost control, with the resulting explosion and fire killing most on board the bus.

Eight people, including two children, were treated in hospital for their injuries.

We managed to get to some people, among them children, who we were able to get out of there thanks to the expertise of one of the relatives accompanying the driver, said Ostria.

The crash, in the small town of Feliciano, happened at a busy time on the roads of Mexico, with the roads packed ahead of the Easter holiday period.

According to one report, the passenger vehicle had been hired by a family from Morelia, the capital of Michoacan, who had been heading to a beach resort of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.

Meanwhile, Health tourism is already worth billions of dollars per year and set to grow at up to 25 percent annually over the coming decade, according to a recent study by Visa and Oxford Economics.

Medical tourism has grown into a healthy travel sector as people shop beyond their borders for everything from dental work to plastic surgery.

Thanks to the internet, a growing middle class, often from countries without high-quality healthcare, "know that there are treatments out there for them," said Julie Munro, president of the Medical Travel Quality Alliance, which produces a ranking of the 10 best hospitals for medical tourists.

But medical tourism is not limited to a few countries, nor to people from wealthier nations travelling to less pricey ones.

Countries like the United States, Turkey, Thailand, Singapore, Spain and Germany see both inward and outward flows, as patients dodge waiting lists or hunt for care that is either unavailable or too expensive in their own country.

You have medical tourism, really, globally, said Thomas Boemkes of marketing firm and ITB partner Diversity Tourism. "For example, you have a lot of Germans going to Poland or Croatia doing dental care because it is cheaper.

But also a lot of Russians and Arabians coming to Germany because we have high-quality hospitals and care they don't have in their countries." "We work with travel agencies and offer complete packages" including pick-up from airports, said Jacco Vroegop, head of clinics in Amsterdam and Frankfurt for ophthalmology network Worldeye.

Launched in Turkey before expanding into Germany and, in the future, into the Netherlands, the group says it treats around 50,000 foreign patients from 107 countries each year.

Medical tourism offers range from dental care through to plastic surgery, reproductive medicine, cancer or heart treatments, rehabilitation and preventive examinations.

But Munro warns of a "growing problem" that patients travelling abroad are particularly at risk of "over-diagnosis" aimed at swelling their bills.

Medical tourists are also often concerned with security in destination countries. Worldeye, for example, expects more clients to opt for its sites in Amsterdam or Frankfurt than for Istanbul or Antalya as Turkey struggles with political tensions.

Dubai has made big bets on medical tourism since 2012, concentrating on seven specialities where the city has the capacity take on extra patients without affecting care for locals.

Some 42 treatment centres have been singled out for their focus on taking in foreign patients. "We launched a strategy, a brand, Dubai Health Experience, and a website for all tourists to be able to access official information on where they can be treated, and a mobile app," said Linda Abdulla Ali, a consultant with the city's Medical Tourism Council.

In 2015, 298,000 people travelled to the biggest city in the United Arab Emirates for care, 30 percent of them from other Arab nations. Our objective is to attract half a million medical tourists by 2020, she said.

Other countries, such as Portugal, are just beginning to dip their toes into the market. We're still preparing our strategy, starting the promotion all over the world, said Joaquim Cunha of Health Cluster Portugal.

The group plans an offer based on a modern park of private hospitals, Cunha said. We don't think that for medical tourism purposes we can use the public hospitals, he added.

Health tourism is already worth billions of dollars per year and set to grow at up to 25 percent annually over the coming decade, according to a recent study by Visa and Oxford Economics.

Medical tourism has grown into a healthy travel sector as people shop beyond their borders for everything from dental work to plastic surgery.

Thanks to the internet, a growing middle class, often from countries without high-quality healthcare, know that there are treatments out there for them said Julie Munro, president of the Medical Travel Quality Alliance, which produces a ranking of the 10 best hospitals for medical tourists.

But medical tourism is not limited to a few countries, nor to people from wealthier nations travelling to less pricey ones. Countries like the United States, Turkey, Thailand, Singapore, Spain and Germany see both inward and outward flows, as patients dodge waiting lists or hunt for care that is either unavailable or too expensive in their own country.

You have medical tourism, really, globally, said Thomas Boemkes of marketing firm and ITB partner Diversity Tourism.For example, you have a lot of Germans going to Poland or Croatia doing dental care because it is cheaper.

But also a lot of Russians and Arabians coming to Germany because we have high-quality hospitals and care they don't have in their countries.

We work with travel agencies and offer complete packages including pick-up from airports, said Jacco Vroegop, head of clinics in Amsterdam and Frankfurt for ophthalmology network Worldeye.

Launched in Turkey before expanding into Germany and, in the future, into the Netherlands, the group says it treats around 50,000 foreign patients from 107 countries each year.

Medical tourism offers range from dental care through to plastic surgery, reproductive medicine, cancer or heart treatments, rehabilitation and preventive examinations.

But Munro warns of a "growing problem" that patients travelling abroad are particularly at risk of "over-diagnosis" aimed at swelling their bills.

Medical tourists are also often concerned with security in destination countries. Worldeye, for example, expects more clients to opt for its sites in Amsterdam or Frankfurt than for Istanbul or Antalya as Turkey struggles with political tensions.

Dubai has made big bets on medical tourism since 2012, concentrating on seven specialities where the city has the capacity take on extra patients without affecting care for locals.

Some 42 treatment centres have been singled out for their focus on taking in foreign patients. We launched a strategy, a brand, Dubai Health Experience, and a website for all tourists to be able to access official information on where they can be treated, and a mobile app, said Linda Abdulla Ali, a consultant with the city's Medical Tourism Council.

In 2015, 298,000 people travelled to the biggest city in the United Arab Emirates for care, 30 percent of them from other Arab nations.Our objective is to attract half a million medical tourists by 2020, she said.

Other countries, such as Portugal, are just beginning to dip their toes into the market. We're still preparing our strategy, starting the promotion all over the world, said Joaquim Cunha of Health Cluster Portugal.

The group plans an offer based on "a modern park of private hospitals," Cunha said. We don't think that for medical tourism purposes we can use the public hospitals, he added.

Ranking of the 10 best hospitals for medical tourists 2017

1. Germany, Hamburg: Asklepios Klinik Barmbek

2. Lebanon, Beirut: Clemenceau Medical Center

3. India, Bagalore: Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta

4. Singapore: Gleneagles Hospital

5. Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur: Prince Court Medical Center

6. Canada, Toronto: Shouldice Hospital

7. Jordan, Amman: The Speciality Hospital

8. Thailand, Bangkok: Samitivej Hospital

9. Mexico, Monterrey: Christus Muguerza Super Speciality Hospital

10. Turkey, Istanbul: Anadolu Medical Center

MEXICO: Mexico Papal Visit, Aeromexico Will Fly His Holiness Pope Francis

At an internal event held to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe, Aeromexico announced that it will fly His Holiness Pope Francis during his first apostolic journey to Mexico.

Aeromexico will use two different types of aircraft for the papal flights, including a Boeing 737-800 Sky Interior with 160 passenger seats to fly His Holiness and his entourage to the cities of Morelia and Tuxtla Gutierrez, and a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 243 passenger seats for the trip to Ciudad Juarez, and from there to Ciampino Airport in Rome.

This is the first time a pontiff will travel on board a Boeing 787, an aircraft widely regarded as the most advanced commercial airplane, on his way back to Rome that will last approximately 13 hours.

Aeromexico CEO Andres Conesa spoke at the event and said, "We thank the Holy See and the relevant authorities for trusting us with this special operation. I can assure you that everyone involved will work with the utmost enthusiasm and dedication to make sure that His Holiness Pope Francis enjoys the natural warmth and hospitality that characterize the Mexican people, and the excellence of our service as Mexico's global airline."

This will mark the fourth time a pope has flown with Aeromexico, as the carrier served as the official airline for Pope John Paul II on his visits to Mexico. The first and most symbolic of these visits was held in January 1979 when a DC-10 called "Mexico City" carried the Pope from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to Mexico City, before taking His Holiness back to Rome.

During Pope John Paul II's second visit, Aeromexico flew the pontiff to different cities in Mexico including Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Monterrey, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Veracruz, and Zacatecas with one of its MD-88 airplanes, and took the Pope back to Rome on its DC10-30 called Chapultepec Castle.

Lastly, on August 1, 2002, a Boeing 767 christened "Mexico Siempre Fiel" (Mexico, Always Faithful) flew Pope John Paul II back to Rome after his fifth visit to Mexico.

As on previous visits, a team formed by representatives from different Divisions within Aeromexico is working together with the authorities and the pastoral visiting team to make sure that all of the flight services scheduled for the trip are provided with the highest possible level of efficiency and safety.

About Grupo Aeromexico

Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries provide commercial aviation services in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, operates more than 600 daily flights from its main hub in Terminal 2 at the Mexico City International Airport. Its route network spans over 80 cities on three continents including 46 destinations in Mexico, 16 in the United States, 16 in Latin America, three in Europe, three in Canada and two in Asia.

The Group's fleet around 130 aircraft is comprised of Boeing 787, 777 and 737 jet airliners and next generation Embraer 145, 170, 175 and 190 models. In 2012, the airline announced the most significant investment strategy in aviation history in Mexico, to purchase 100 Boeing aircraft including 90 MAX 737 airliners and ten 787-9 Dreamliners.

As a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, Aeromexico offers customers more than 1,000 destinations in 178 countries served by the 20 SkyTeam airline partners rewarding passengers with benefits including access to 636 premium airport lounges around the world.

Aeromexico also offers travel options through its code share partners Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, Avianca, LAN, TACA and TAM with extensive connectivity in countries like Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru and the United States.